Improvement in cloth-holders for sewing-machines



G. FOWLER. Sewing Machine Cloth Holder.

No. 42,184. Patented April 5, 1864.

Nirnn STATES PATENT GEORGE FOWLER, OF WATERBURY, CONNECTICUT.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 42,184, dated April 5, 1864.

To all whom it may concern: A

Be it known that I, GEORGE FOWLER, of Waterbury, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented a new and useful Seam-Holder for Machine'Sewing; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being bad to the accompanying drawing, forming part of this specification, said drawing representing a longitudinal view of the seam-holder.

In sewing two or more thicknesses of cloth together by the sewing-machine the thickness which is next the feeding-surface alwaystends to move faster than the other thickness, and the work is thus caused to be drawn.

The object of this invention is to obviate this, and also to dispense, as far as practicable, with basting; and to this end it consists of a rod having attached to it two books or teeth, one or both of which are movable lengthwise thereon, so that by inserting the said hooks through both thicknesses of the cloth and drawing them as far apart as possible they will keep the seam stretched even. The said seam-holder also obviates in a great degree the necessity of the operator leaching out to hold the work while sewing.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe it with reference to the drawing.

A is the rod, of wood or metal, ot'any suitablelength,having a small knob, a, at one end to serve as a handle.

I) and c are the two teeth, made of hooked form, and attached to the rod in line with each other in such manner as to be incapable of turning thereon. Their points are turned in opposite directions to prevent the work from slipping off. Both might be adjustable lengthwise of the rod; but it is only necessary generally to make one adjustable, and therefore I have represented Z1 as attached rigidly to the opposite end of the rod to the handle a, and 0 only adjustable.

To prevent a from turning it has secured within its hub a key or feather, d, which is fitted snugly into alongitudinal groove, 0, in the rod. The hub of c is fitted to be moved easily along the rod by the application ofthe power of the fingers directly to it, and when the teeth are inserted through the work the latter may have considerable tension produced upon it by moving the tooth c away from I), as the strain upon 0 tends to draw the hub out of linewith therod, and so make it bite thereon with sufficient tightness to prevent its displacement.

To put the work Ben the seam-holder the tooth c is placed at a suitable distance from b. and the two or more thicknesses of cloth of which the workis composed are laid smoothly together and placed in a slack state upon the hooks. Thetooth c is then moved farther from b a sufficient distance to stretch the work and keep it even. The work is then placed in the machine,with the rod A lying on the bed-plate, and is guided by taking hold of the handle a of the rod. In sewing a long seam, when the distance between the teeth has been sewed the sewed portion of the work is taken off and the next unsewed portion put on.

What Iclaim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The seam-holder composed of a rod, A, and two teeth or books, b 0, one or both of which are adj ustable upon the said rod, substantially as and for the purpose herein specified.

GEORGE FOWLER. 

